Defined
by Lo Beng
Summary: In the aftermath of the war in Wutai, Sephiroth struggles to define the relationship between himself and Zack. Mildly AU. Sephiroth/Zack, slowly builds into an actual romance.
1. Chapter 1

In the beginning they called it "stress relief". After the war in Wutai, they had both needed it, and as neither one of them were prone to talking out their feelings, this worked. It was the most logical solution.

Later, Sephiroth reasoned that it continued out of convenience. They both lived on the same floor, and as they were both Firsts, there was little chance anyone would find their arrangement improper. Attending to a biological need was understandable, and besides, with both of them being as enhanced as they were, it would be unsafe to engage in these sorts of activities with either civilians or lower ranked members of SOLDIER.

And if he sometimes heard rumors that Zack was sleeping with others, what of it? There wasn't anything really between them, not really. And besides, he'd heard enough rumors about himself to know that there was generally little substance to that sort of thing. How many times had he heard rumors about himself sleeping with Genesis, or Angeal, or heavens forbid, that one about himself and Hojo?

So this works. Normally Zack comes to his apartment, they sleep together, Zack leaves. Sometimes Sephiroth thinks to ask Zack to stay, just for a little bit, just for the night maybe.

When he watches Zack's back, watches him gather his clothes and go, then sometimes he doesn't know what to call it at all.

* * *

Zack makes him feel his age, which is very, very young. Sephiroth stands ramrod straight, speaks little except on military strategy, and unblinkingly looks people directly in the eye. A lot of people have taught him this speaks of maturity, and while it does the trick at work, he has frequently heard people describe it as "unnerving" when they think he's out of earshot.

It doesn't matter anyway, as long as they follow his orders. After Wutai they have so many fresh faced recruits who regard him as a hero, he could probably say anything to them and get away with it. He considers just speaking his mind during a welcome speech to the newest batch of cadets, but reconsiders immediately. He knows there are consequences to things like that, and that he is more or less company property. Still, it doesn't mean he hasn't envisioned a speech more to his liking numerous times.

Zack never holds back what he's thinking, which Sephiroth simultaneously appreciates and abhors. The first time they slept together, Zack said, "So the hair color _is_ natural then. Who'd a thunk it?" He had only been grateful that they hadn't bothered with the lights, and that maybe Zack couldn't see the intensity of his blush. He didn't know whether he was being laughed at, or if he was meant to laugh with, but thankfully Zack had kissed him soon enough that he didn't even have to bother with a response.

* * *

The first night that Zack stays, it's more or less by accident, Sephiroth thinks. They fuck, as per usual, but Zack is unusually breathless after despite not exerting any more energy than usual. Sephiroth thinks about asking if he's feeling all right, wonders if that's a socially appropriate thing to ask your partner directly after sex, but Zack answers before he can say anything.

"Damn," he says while wheezing out a laugh. "I think I need some fresh air or something, ya know? I feel like I'm not getting enough air recently."

"I can open a window, if you'd like? Then again, I'm not sure Midgar's air is quite what you had in mind."

"Yeah, no, it can't hurt, right? We're high enough up the air's probably kind of fresh. I don't know if you appreciate it, not having done the whole cadet barracks thing, but living up this high is _nice._ I meant what I said earlier about them spoiling you."

Sephiroth moves to open up the window and considers telling Zack that this kind of luxury is new to him too, that he'd grown up in the labs and had only gotten this sort of freedom after he'd proven himself in the war. He'd mentioned it to Angeal and Genesis once when they'd been reminiscing about their time growing up in Banora, but found out that that's the sort of thing that ends a conversation. They exchanged looks, fumbled for words, the conversation fizzled out. Sephiroth gave a halfhearted excuse and left. He'd made note of that for future reference. Do not discuss growing up in the labs. Do not discuss how you never knew your parents. Do not discuss the inordinate amount of time you have spent wondering if there's ever been a group of people out there, past or present, who look anything like you. He's learning. Let Zack think what he will.

"I think there's something going around. Um, some kind of cold or something? You should be fine, I'm sure, I just hang out with this cadet sometimes. His immune system sucks. So, um, there's that possibility…"

"I believe sleep is the remedy for that. And soup?"

"Yeah. Ugh, I am way too tired to get up and get ready for bed. And thinking of soup from the mess hall does _not_ make me feel any better."

"You can remain here tonight. You should be better in the morning."

Zack doesn't say anything, but relaxes into the sheets a little bit more. His breathing is still faster than it should be, but is slowing down enough that Sephiroth sees no need to worry further. He settles into bed, keeps an appropriate amount of distance between himself and Zack, and keeps perfectly still for the rest of the night.

* * *

Let no one say that Sephiroth is not considerate when sharing a bed. The same cannot be said for Zack, who spent the entirety of the night tossing and turning, sometimes sitting upright and staring straight ahead for an hour at a time. Sephiroth had been constantly aware of him throughout the entire night, and wondered if the joys of sharing a bed with someone had been grossly overstated. By the time dawn hits, there's not much point in pretending to be asleep anymore.

"I think that maybe I pulled something in my back last night." Zack says it quietly and words it like a question, as if he is hoping for some kind of confirmation. His breathing is shallow, and his teeth are gritted in a way that belies the casual nature of his words.

Sephiroth sees no point in not mincing his words. "You look awful."

"Well, ouch. You sure know how to kill a guy's self esteem. You thought I looked fine last night."

"I mean that you look pale and are in obvious pain. It might be in your best interest to consult a doctor."

"Is that an order?"

"Is that what it takes to get you to look after your own health?"

Sephiroth experiences a moment of irritation at both himself and Zack: at Zack for his current stubbornness, and at himself for not noticing Zack's worsening condition over the course of the night, having been too annoyed at the fact that all the tossing and turning lead to no sleep for either one of them. Zack looks noticeably worse now though, constantly shifting in an attempt to find a comfortable position, a light sheen of cold sweat clinging to his skin. Mako works well against injuries and airborne toxins, but generally speaking has little effect against disease. A flutter of worry flares up in Sephiroth's chest.

"...Okay, yeah. No, it should be in and out. If they asked how this happened though, I'm not owning up to anything."

"I can take you over to the medical ward as soon as you're dressed," Sephiroth says quietly. "I have a morning meeting that I'm required to attend, but I can return around lunchtime if you're still there. My apologies. I'm aware Angeal would be the ideal choice, but I'll be sure to alert him to your condition as soon as he returns from his mission. He should be no later than early morning tomorrow."

"You don't have to. You're busy."

"Ensuring the health of one of Shinra's top SOLDIERS is a priority."

Whatever the correct thing to say is, it isn't that.

Author's Note: I am probably too old to be writing this sort of thing, but I a.) still hold a soft spot for FF7 fanfiction, which is something I never want any of my loved ones to know, even if I'm dead and b.) I recently got out of the hospital for blood clots in my lungs and there's really no way to talk about that sort of thing to friends and family without generally upsetting them or making them uncomfortable. So, like a true adult, I'm using fanfiction to sort things out, all while making fictional characters fall in love (and angst a lot in the process).

I'm not super familiar with Crisis Core, but from the few scenes I have watched, it seems like Zack and Sephiroth have a somewhat contentious relationship. I'm starting with that, so no, Zack won't be a dick throughout the entire thing. I'm also writing Seph as totally awkward because I both sort of relate, and also who, except for someone who's totally socially inept, angsts about not knowing their hometown/mother to some cadet they don't even really know (yeah, I'm looking at you, Nibelheim flashback scene from the original game)? Anyway, let me know what you think. I have a vague idea where I'm going with this, but would like to know if it seems worth continuing or not.


	2. Chapter 2

The first person Sephiroth slept with had been Genesis. Genesis' troops had come under a surprise attack, the first they'd seen of Wutai's guerilla warfare tactics, and it had been Sephiroth's squadron who had finally come in to bring the situation back in Shinra's favor. Between the brutality and confusion of the scene, Sephiroth almost remembers it all from outside his own body, as if he hadn't even taken part in what had occurred.

Later, when they'd been reviewing the casualties from the battle, Genesis had pushed him to the floor of the tent and fucked him raw. It had been neither pleasure nor pain for him, just sensation. He remembers it in snippets: Genesis' teeth breaking the skin near his shoulder, Genesis calling him a whore when he canted his hips to meet Genesis' thrusts, Genesis burying his head into his shoulder after, breath with enough voice in it that it seemed he almost meant to speak.

Still, the next time Genesis came to him he'd said yes. And the time after that.

It was likely the only secret they'd ever kept from Angeal. Sephiroth half expected Genesis to present it as a victory over a rival, but he stuck to the usual complaints when the three of them were together: Sephiroth had again been credited with Genesis' accomplishments by the media, Sephiroth was socially inept, he lacked the literary knowledge to fully appreciate the masterpiece that was _Loveless_.

With Zack, Angeal had merely introduced the two in the hopes that it would would be good for his mentee's overall well-being if he had the chance to meet and speak with his hero. He'd honestly planned for that; they'd all recently gotten home after the war in Wutai ended in victory for Shinra, but he still felt he could modify the vaguely inspirational speeches he used to motivate his troops to help Zack out too.

Zack arrived alone, his whole body thrumming with frenetic energy. He made the first move, and after finding Sephiroth receptive, lost the nervous edge. Sephiroth soon understood why Angeal had gifted his student with the title of "puppy". His energy seemed to be in endless supply. During the course of the evening, Zack had good naturedly teased him about his hair, done a horrifically accurate impression of Scarlet's laugh mid-coitus, and insisted the two of them high-five after they were done. (The impression had been the worst; Sephiroth had laughed hard enough that he ended up becoming more relaxed and therefore more aroused, something which Zack noticed and teased him mercilessly for. Not to mention how uncomfortable next day's meeting to discuss new weaponry for the SOLDIER program had been. Enough so that Angeal had come up to him after the meeting to inquire about his health. When he said that he was merely tired, Angeal admitted that "Zack's endless enthusiasm was enough to wear anyone down." Thank goodness that Angeal was no longer looking directly at him as he said that.)

But Zack had been sweet too, and surprisingly attentive. He took his time, and sometimes looked into Sephiroth's eyes with a mixture of bafflement and awe. It was different, but not unwelcome.

But then the news reports had credited him solely for the decisive battle in the war, despite the fact that Sephiroth had been in Squadron B and had therefore little to do with that victory. Later, when a scheduling conflict had prevented him from taking on an assigned mission, he'd recommended Zack as being more than capable of going in his stead. Rumors around the building indicated he'd found the job beneath him, and had instead foisted the job off on Zack. Sephiroth didn't honestly expect that anyone other than Genesis paid any mind to these sorts of things.

It was awhile before he saw Zack again, which was to be expected due to their busy schedules. Zack was quiet, reserved. Tired, perhaps?

"Angeal sent me back here," he said. "He said that it seemed 'beneficial to my well-being' and that we 'probably had a lot more we could talk about'. So I'm here."

"Is there something you wish to discuss?"

"Do I look like I'm here for an 'inspirational speech'? Is that really what you told him we got up to? Like, you said that with a straight face?"

That night was almost enough to make Sephiroth think he had imagined the first. That night Zack could have been anybody else, and it wouldn't have been any more lonely. But it was fine. When Angeal asked if they were getting along all right, Sephiroth always said yes.

* * *

Sephiroth arrives at the medical ward just as Zack is being prepped for a CT scan. The staff is insisting he lie down for the procedure, but as they guide his body down, Zack lets out a sound that is just shy of a scream. For a moment he thinks of intervening, but reminds himself this is medically necessary, and that they are only trying to help. They're doctors, not scientists. It's hard to remember that as Zack lets out that same agonized sound again.

A computerized woman's voice is instructing Zack to stay calm, to lie still. Take one full breath in, hold it. Please resume breathing normally. While his efforts hardly seem to match the prompts given, he passes, and the technicians wheel him on back to the emergency room.

"Have they given you any pain medication since you got here?" Sephiroth says once the gurney has stilled, and the oxygen tubing is back in place.

"Oh, wha-? No, not yet. If they do at all. It's not that that bad, really."

"I can get a nurse to come over."

"No! Come on, that guy over there is missing a leg. You don't see him complaining."

"He's in a coma, Zack."

"No, please don't call anyone over. I don't want special treatment, and besides, they're swamped. I didn't think you were actually gonna make it over."

"I just had that morning meeting, but-"

"Did it go okay?"

"As well as any meeting goes when both Scarlet and Heidegger are in the room."

"I'll work on getting his laugh down next. Oh look, you're blushing! I knew you appreciated my skills!"

"Of which you have many, Zack."

The entire room is cramped, and as there's no place to sit, Sephiroth tries to squeeze himself into the space between the bed and the heart rate monitor. The curtain demarcating the end of Zack's space and the start of another presses right up against his back, and when the man in the neighboring bed flings out his arm, his hand slaps right between Sephiroth's shoulder blades.

The noise is at a high enough decibel that it almost feels as if it is a physical entity in and of itself. Angeal would be better here, Sephiroth is sure, and he would know what to say. He is supposed to be back now, but there's no word as to why the mission is taking longer than it should. In all matters now, there is nothing to do but wait.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This is slow building an eventually will get to a true romance. I promise. Though to be honest, I'm not actually sure anyone is reading this, so I'm not sure who I'm making this promise to?

Next part of this story will be from Zack's point of view. Slowly but surely, I'm writing more to this. Though it is the busy season at work, so I consider a couple paragraphs in a week to be an accomplishment. And yes, even the short ones count.


	3. Chapter 3

Zack's mother always always described his ebullient approach to life with a mixture of exasperation and pride. At best, he was constantly curious, full of vim and vigor. It was a sign of intelligence, his mother said. Probably. At worst, she'd remind him that she hadn't gotten a restful night of sleep in years because of him.

"You kept me up even before you were born," she'd say. "I was half convinced you'd just kick your way out."

She sent him outside most of the time in the hope that he would just wear himself out. Whatever game of pretend he ended up playing, with himself or with the other children in town, he ended up playing the hero. If there was a princess to be saved, he was the knight. If there was a robber, then he was the cop. It came naturally to him. His mother hoped this would one day culminate into him becoming a doctor.

He hadn't considered a career in SOLDIER for the most part though, not really. He was peripherally aware of it; in an economically depressed region in the middle of nowhere filled with young men looking to get out, there were of course recruiters in and out all the time. His mother made him promise not to join. "The last thing I want," she'd say, "is for you to come home in a body bag."

Up to that point, He hadn't thought about his career possibilities all that much. He was fifteen, and while aware that his choices were limited, he still considered working the mines, even though he always overheard his father complaining after he got home from work, saying that those were starting to run dry. His father worried what that would mean for the family in a few years time. How he would put food on the table, and what that meant, since they didn't have the funds to move. At fifteen, these things didn't seem like tangible worries. He'd work in the mines or he'd find something else. There were always options, and there was always hope.

That changed the day his father came home early from work one day. He hadn't realized at that time his father had been let go, but he came home to find his father hunched over a newspaper spread on the kitchen table. He was struggling with the crossword puzzle, or rather, struggling with the pen he was using to fill out the crossword puzzle.

"God fucking _damnit_ ," his father yelled, hurling both the pen and the paper at the wall.

There was no crash. The paper fluttered down slowly, and the pen finally settled after rolling across the floor. Suddenly his father's growing reluctance to do the crossword, his worsening handwriting, all his jokes about his clumsiness, always dropping things- all of it had a sudden physicality to it. It could no longer be ignored, and it was now a part of their lives.

"Zack… Sorry, son. I didn't hear you come in."

His mother drove the point home. She held his face between her hands and said, "Your father can't go to work anymore. It's going to get worse from here on out, and I don't want you here for that. For the love of- at least I know they'll feed you at Shinra."

She held him so tight and for so long that he felt his body temperature rise. He wanted to squirm and get away, but he didn't. For her sake. The next day he packed his things and spoke to the recruiters for the first time. It would be a long time before he would see his family again.

* * *

For a long time, Sephiroth came across as a hero to Zack: powerful, poised, a man of almost mythic stature. Here, in the hospital room trying to take up as little space as possible, he perhaps never before appeared so human.

Now, Zack waits. Sephiroth shifts from foot to foot every now and then, and Zack momentarily considers thinking of something to break the silence before deciding against it. Disregarding the farce of intimacy that they've participated in together, Zack frequently finds himself sharp tongued when speaking with Sephiroth. It's not that he deserves it, and it's not exactly wise to talk to his superior like that, but the man always shrugs it off. Zack is always acutely aware that whatever has occurred between the two of them, Sephiroth is so far above him, so untouchable, and it is best to keep from getting attached. There are moments like this though, when Sephiroth almost does seem within reach, and it makes Zack want to try.

The doctor comes first, before he can say anything. The staff sends over a resident that is at last as young as him, and he approaches nervously. Without making eye contact, he says, "Sir, uh, Zachary Fair? They've got the results from your CT scan. We're, um, going to get you some morphine soon, by the way. We're just waiting on approval."

Zack cuts in before Sephiroth can. "Okay," he says, "and you said you had the results?"

"Yeah. It's blood clots in the lungs. We'll start the admitting process now."

"This is probably a stupid question, but is that serious? I mean, probably not that bad, right?"

"Yeah, it's, it's serious." The look on his face makes it seem like he can't even understand why Zack is asking. To be fair, the resident probably has a point.

"Do you know how many? Like, one? More? What are we talking here?"

"I didn't personally view your results, Mr. Fair. I'm afraid I don't know."

Suddenly, after hours of what seems like inactivity and waiting, everything sets into motion. They wheel him down a series of corridors into a sterile room where another man screams the entire night, and while nurses come in throughout the night to inquire about his health, no one ever brings the morphine they promised him.

Throughout it all, silently, Sephiroth stays beside him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I understand, this is woefully short. It's our busy season at work, and after running our department's biggest even of the season, and working 12-13 hour days (including some time on the weekend as well), I am honestly surprised this got up at all. So I hope you can forgive me in that sense. Other than work, life has been trying at best. Writing has been a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. (Oh, who am I kidding? Writing and wine made the evenings pleasant.)

I really appreciate the reviews. I am not even going to try to play it cool, they made me positively giddy. I checked way more often than even made sense to see if more people had read this story, if there were any more reviews. So just know that you really made my week. Seriously, you guys rock. I have a pretty good sense of where the next chapter is heading, so with work finally slowing down in a few weeks, I hope I can work on this a little more.


	4. Chapter 4

Sephiroth hadn't expected the hospital staff would let him stay the entire night, but as neither they nor Zack requested he leave, he didn't. He suspects that the plastic chair they had him sit in, as uncomfortable as it was, was meant to be encouragement enough. In the morning, purely out of stubbornness, he is still there by Zack's bed.

"Would you like me to contact your parents? You would need to sign an FCN1000a form to show your consent, but that's it," Sephiroth says. Even speaking at a decibel this low, his voice sounds strangely loud after such a long silence.

"Why?"

"Why-? Oh. They introduced the FCN1000a form a little while ago after a Captain kept making inappropriate phone calls to his First Lieutenant's emergency contact. The paperwork is meant to be a deterrent to that situation occurring again,"

"Wait, seriously?" Zack laughs. It's one of the most wonderful sounds Sephiroth has heard in the last forty-eight hours. Though, to be fair, the options from which to choose are scant. "Wow, everyone was kinda wondering what happened to Gibbons all of a sudden, but I guess it all makes sense now. But no, I meant why contact my parents? I'm fine. There's no point in getting them worried over nothing."

"I thought you might want them to visit you during your recovery process."

"Oh. Yeah, no, my dad can't travel. Don't worry about it."

Sephiroth realizes he should not ask why, but there is an almost overwhelming need to learn something about Zack firsthand. Everything he knows about Zack is secondhand information gleaned from Angeal, facts or anecdotes offered effortlessly, in an almost cavalier manner. He wonders if he, who seems to connect with everyone easily, takes this friendship for granted; in much the same way he wonders if Angeal also takes Genesis for granted, who actually loves him, and treats him well.

"Hey." Zack nudges his arm lightly. "Don't look so serious about it. It's fine. It's just, you know, my dad has some trouble walking and he's in a wheelchair. The whole travel thing is tough. And besides, my mom works and she can't really take time off. I'll call them once all of this has blown over."

"Okay." He doesn't want to say it, but he does, because it doesn't seem like something Zack wants to go on about. More than that though, every conversation between the two of them has been downright amicable these past few days, which is rare, if they even bother to talk at all. The selfish part of him has taken a sick pleasure in the easiness of their interactions, and he wishes it could always be like this, excepting the serious illness. He hasn't slept in days now, which he's used to, but he doesn't have the energy for a fight.

Zack reaches out absentmindedly and places his hand on Sephiroth's forearm. "Thanks for asking though."

It makes him determined to try harder to make contact with Angeal again. If Zack's parents can't be there due to logistics, then at least the next best thing can.

* * *

In the late morning, a nurse wheels on in to check Zack's vitals and is exuberant when she announces the medications he's been cleared to take, pain medication among them. The morphine does absolutely nothing in the end, and they settle instead on giving him something powerful enough that it puts Zack to sleep within the hour. They also introduce a blood thinner, which they insist he take with food. Food, in this case, includes mashed sweet potatoes that are an alarming shade of brown neither one of them had seen before.

At night, with Zack asleep and no longer in need of company, Sephiroth finally returns back to his apartment with the intention of getting some work done. It's cold, and he wraps a blanket around his shoulders, belatedly aware that he's no longer in the labs, and has the option of adjusting the heat.

The amount of emails that can be generated within a day is almost alarming, and as he reads through the increasingly frantic emails from his secretary reminding him that tomorrow's meeting with President Shinra is not optional, he realizes he won't see Zack until late tomorrow, if at all. Meetings with the president are long, arduous affairs that frequently continue on for hours. He makes a note to pack headache medication for tomorrow. He doesn't have a full blown migraine yet, but it seems likely by this time tomorrow night.

For a solid hour he remains on task, until he gets curious about how long it takes to recover from a pulmonary embolism, and what the treatment plans tend to entail. After reading a list of things to avoid when taking blood thinners, and finding "contact sports" and "falling down" categorized as highly dangerous, it becomes apparent that Zack's profession is probably another activity that would be "strongly recommended against". If he only has to take them for a few months, fine, but if Zack falls into the category of people who need to take them indefinitely, what then?

It's well past midnight, but Sephiroth finds himself dialing Angeal's number again, hoping to receive an answer this time.

* * *

With the pain medication, Zack drifts in and out of consciousness, frequently jolted awake by the feeling that he's that he's being touched. The fear is not an unsubstantiated one, because half the time he is by some well meaning nurse who wants him to eat, or take his medication, or undergo another exam. He's glad the medication has left him drowsy enough that his reflexes are shot; the last thing he needs is to attack the one of the staff after they scare him awake.

It isn't until later in the day that he's fully cognizant of his surroundings, and he realizes Sephiroth is gone. He expected that. To be honest, he's surprised that he stayed as long as he did. After finally getting some sleep, however restless it may have been, he's now fully aware of his just how jarring to the the senses everything in this room is. His neighbor won't stop screaming, his yells building in intensity until finally, reaching its apogee, the nurse rushes in to take care of whatever new problem has come up. The neon advertisements flash incessantly outside his window, and the smell of cleaning supplies is strong enough that it's even starting to give Zack a headache. Zack wants to pretend that he doesn't remember Angeal mentioning once that Sephiroth was prone to migraines, just like he remembers every stupid thing Angeal has ever mentioned about the man- but still, it must have been miserable for him, staying here.

His neighbor starts with his latest round of vocalizations. A solemn trio of doctors walks in, and he pleas to any any higher power willing to listen that they will finally shut this guy up for good. They stop at his bed instead. His neighbor continues.

"Mr. Fair, I'm sure you've been informed of the pulmonary emboli," the first one says. Two young residents stand silent behind him.

"So it's more than one then?"

"Two."

"So, just- Is that serious? I get it, it's not good, but comparatively speaking, what are we talking here?"

"You'll need to be on the blood thinners at least three months, though it's possible you might need to be on them six months to a year, perhaps indefinitely."

"Okay, that is a _really_ broad time frame-"

"At this point, the most we can do is monitor you, so it's likely you'll be released tomorrow morning, so long as you have someone who can help you if needed." He gets winded on the short trek to the bathroom. What do they mean, " _if needed"_?

"Okay."

"Have you had any surgeries lately, or been on any long flights?"

"Uh, one flight from Wutai to here, though it was a few months ago, at this point."

"It doesn't matter. You probably ignored your symptoms, which would account for your current condition."

"I was _tired_. That's hardly a symptom worth getting bent out of shape about."

"You'll need to follow up with a hematologist and a pulmonologist about your condition. They'll have the time to run further tests."

"Fine. Will do. When can I go back to work?"

"Your records indicate you are a SOLDIER, First Class, correct?" He continues before Zack can even nod. "You won't be returning to work until you're off the blood thinners. You're on a high dose now, and you have to be very careful now. I'm sure I don't have to remind you this is serious."

This is the moment where he feels his blood should run cold. It doesn't. He feels nothing except for a sudden, overwhelming fatigue. The doctor continues for a bit longer, and even though Zack responds, none of it sinks it. Everything in the room, suddenly, just feels like white noise.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey, guys. I didn't forget about this story. It's just been a whirlwind couple of months. The entirety of May at work was so insanely busy that I barely remember what happened at this point. The rest of my time has been doctor's appointments, celebrating friends' birthdays/engagements/career-stuff, learning new skills for my career, trying to work out enough so that I _maybe_ one day will have two-pack abs, etc. But I never forgot about this story. To be honest, I wanted to write even more in this (even though I think it's technically my longest chapter by far), so I'm hoping I can hop to it and get the next chapter out there soon.

I really appreciate your reviews, guys. Really, it makes my day. You all rock.


End file.
